Wayne Blackburn | The Guardianhttp://www.theguardian.com/profile/wayne-blackburn
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Suicide and the unspoken side of welfare 'reform' | Wayne Blackburnhttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/may/31/suicide-welfare-reform-cuts
I personally know how cuts can push someone to thoughts of suicide, but there are people and organisations who can help<p>It has always been difficult for everyone, regardless of their experiences or expertise, to be able to discuss publicly the motivations or reasons for a person to decide to take their own life. It is, somewhat understandably, a cultural taboo, a subject that even today is hard to broach.</p><p>Earlier this month, <a href="http://www.insidehousing.co.uk/home/blogs/tragic-lessons/6526927.blog" title="">Stephanie Bottrill</a>, a 53-year-old grandmother from Solihull, West Midlands, took her own life . In a letter she left to her son, she blamed the government, as she was having to move from her family home of more than 18 years because of the &quot;bedroom tax&quot;.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/may/31/suicide-welfare-reform-cuts">Continue reading...</a>WelfareBedroom taxHousing benefitBenefitsDisabilitySocial exclusionDepressionMental healthUK newsPoliticsFri, 31 May 2013 13:16:22 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/may/31/suicide-welfare-reform-cutsDan Kitwood/Getty ImagesProtesters against the bedroom tax at the high court hold placards, including one in memory of Stephanie Bottrill. Photograph: Dan Kitwood/Getty ImagesDan Kitwood/Getty ImagesDemonstrators hold placards as they gather to protest against government changes to the welfare system and the proposed 'bedroom tax'. Photograph: Dan Kitwood/Getty ImagesWayne Blackburn2013-05-31T13:16:22Z